Steinmeier’s final signature doesn’t signal an immediate change though. Unlike when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality, same-sex couples in Germany will have to wait until sometime this Fall to tie the knot. October 1 at the earliest.

A Fall date will push the legalization past the national elections in September, and gives those parties challenging the new law a platform. Other parties in favor of the change though are trying to get ahead of the issue by refusing coalition deals if marriage equality isn’t instituted within 100 days.